JAX (The Beckett Boys #2) - Olivia Chase Page 0,50

to ignore studying.

“Because our daughter was doing great until she met you.”

And there it is. Dropped right out in the open. Anger flashes through me, hot and hard.

Jax stands, digs into his pocket, and tosses a handful of bills on the table. “You know, I should go check on my brother. He might need me.” He gives a curt nod, his ticking jaw showing how much he’s struggling to maintain his composure, then he spins around and leaves.

“Mom! What is your problem?” I glare at her, torn. Should I stay here, or should I go after him? My gut tells me that I need to talk to Jax. “That was so rude.”

“Seriously, Brooklyn? This is the guy you’re seeing? I guess you don’t care about your future at all. That man is no good for you, and I can’t support it.” Mom shoots Dad a glare when he tries to pat her hand. “No, I’m not going to be quiet about it. I was quiet with Della, and I should have said something before this all happened to her.”

Della stills in her seat.

I stand up. “This is messed up. I’m not going to have this conversation with you right now. I have to go talk to Jax and calm myself down. I hope you do too and we can talk like rational people.”

“Brooklyn,” Mom says in a warning voice. “Do not leave this table. We’re not done talking.”

“Yes, we are,” I say, looking at her through a veil of tears. I’m mad, yes, but I’m also hurt. Because I know exactly why my mom doesn’t like Jax. I knew from day one that she wouldn’t, but I let him into my life anyway and then brought him around. What did I expect would happen, a miracle?

My family is already predisposed to dislike someone like him.

This was such a bad idea.

I squeeze Della’s shoulder and then exit the place. I can hear my dad murmuring with my mom and I try to shut out their voices. I scan the parking lot, wondering if Jax already took off.

I see him at the far end, sitting in the spot, staring stonily ahead. My heart is a brick in my chest as I make my way there. I don’t know what to say, what to do. Everything is a mess.

I tap on the passenger door, and he turns to look at me, his eyes narrow, his lips pinched. I point to the lock, and after a moment, he unlocks the car.

I get in and sit in the seat beside him. We don’t speak for several minutes, just sit with the light air conditioning blowing on our faces.

“So, your parents hate me,” he finally says. There’s no emotion in his tone.

I swallow. “They hate the idea of you.”

That makes him scoff. “Seriously?”

“Well, how can they hate you? They don’t even know you.” I know my point is true, but it’s a weak argument, and it isn’t making him feel any better. I stare down at my lap and twist my fingers. My pulse is hammering in my ears, and I’m shaking all over.

“I can’t be this man they want me to be.” He pauses. “Or you want me to be.”

Tears fly to my eyes, and I try to blink them back. “Can’t, or won’t?”

Jax sighs. “Does it matter, really? You and I have been avoiding this topic for a while now. Not talking about what’s going to happen after graduation. Where we’re going to go, where it leaves us. But the truth is, we’re not going anywhere. We lived in a bubble for the last several weeks, and now reality is sinking in. And reality is, I’m not right for you.”

The bluntness of his words steals the breath from me. I swallow several times past the knot in my throat. So, that’s it then. The answer to my secret questions. Jax has already made up his mind.

Hurt swells in my chest, and the tears start to flow. I sniffle hard, willing them to stop spilling. “I see.” It’s hard to scrape my pride together, but I try. Stupid me, falling in love with this man. He’s decided our future—and it isn’t together. And the hardest part is, he’s right. He’s not right for me. I want his love, his commitment, and I’m not going to get that from him.

Jax isn’t willing to change for anyone or anything. So here I am, left holding my broken heart, feeling like a moron. And it’s no one’s fault